Books: LookIng For Meaning In The Ring In "Why We Fight"

Why We Fight: One Man's Search for Meaning Inside the Ring
By Josh Rosenblatt
Ecco; hardcover, 224 pages; $26.99; available Tuesday, January 15

Josh Rosenblatt, a writer and journalist who lives in Brooklyn, tracks his trajectory from pacifist to pugilist, from idle philosopher to trained fighter, his life's abrupt face, and what compelled such a change in his new book, Why We Fight.

Stottlemyre, Yankees Ace & Pitching Coach To 1986 Mets & Yankees 1990s Dynasty, Passes Away at 77

@Yankees.

Mel Stottlemyre, the ace of the Yankees pitching staff in the late 1960s who went on to be the pitching coach of the Mets' 1986 World Championship team, and the Yankees 1990s dynasty, passed away on Sunday at the age of 77.

Yankees Sign LeMahieu, Making Infield Complete

DJ LeMahieu.

On Monday, the Yankees announced the signing of two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove-winning infielder DJ LeMahieu to a two-year contract through the 2020 season.

LeMahieu is a solid second baseman, which gives the Yankees plenty of options in the infield as they cover for the loss of shortstop Didi Gregorius until June or July as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Books: Looking At America Through "Revolutionary Threads"

Revolutionary Threads: Rastafari, Social Justice, and Cooperative Economics
By Bobby Sullivan
Akashic Books, Brooklyn, NY; trade paperback, 228 pages; $15.95

Bobby Sullivan grew up in the Washington, DC, punk scene, fueled by Rasta rockers Bad Brains and the foundational Minor Threat. His most notable band continues to be Soulside (of which he is the singer), which had multiple releases on Dischord Records.

St. John's, Who Played Without Ponds, Dominated By DePaul

Marvin Clark of St. John's battles DePaul's Femi Olujobi. @StJohnsBball.

St. John's, who unexpectedly had to play without their star point guard Shamorie Ponds, lost to DePaul, 79-71, on Saturday night at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's, ranked 24th in the nation, has now lost two straight, dropping their Big East Conference record to 2-3, and they are 14-3 overall. They most likely will drop out of the Top 25 with this loss and the one to Villanova this past Tuesday night.

Books: Dave Anderson's Defining Book On Super Bowl III

Countdown To Super Bowl: How The 1968-1969 New York Jets Delivered On Joe Namath's Guarantee To Win It All - 50th Anniversary Edition
By Dave Anderson
Sports Publishing; paperback, 248 pages; $16.99

Saturday is the 50th Anniversary of the Jets' stunning victory of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

This is possibly the most consequential Super Bowl of all-time, as the Jets, then of the American Football League, beat the heavily-favored Colts, stalwarts of the National Football League. The two leagues merged soon after, with the NFL absorbing all AFL teams and the structure of the NFL still stands today.

NYCFC MLS Super Draft Report

NYCFC plays at Yankee Stadium. Photo by Jason Schott.

New York City Football Club selected goalkeeper Luis Barraza (Marquette University) with the 12th overall pick and defender Abdi Mohamed (University of Akron) with the 43rd overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft 2019 this afternoon in Chicago.